Method of making shaped hosiery



May 5, 1936.

E. E. CARLSON METHOD OF MAKING SHAPED HOSIERY Original Filed Feb. 1, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ina/6722302 EZZa worZFzEf flai iso 2,039 283 6 E. E. CARLSO I May 57 METHODOF MAK D HOSIE Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I nvenifo 2.- i .E'ZZG :00 2 2715: 0arz on 4 Original Filed Feb. 1, 193

Patented May 5,1936

PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING SHAPED HOSIERY Ellsworth E. Carlson, Saratoga Springs,

asaignor to Van Raaite Company, New Yor N. Y, a corporation of New York Original application February 1, 1934, Serial No.

709,302, now Patent No. 2,014,126, dated September 10, 1935. Divided and this application August 14, 1935, Serial 2 Claims. (Cl. 66-478) This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial Number 709,302, filed February 1, 1934 now Patent No. 2,014,126, Sept. 10, 1935.

This invention relates to non-runshaped hosiery blanks, to the method of making the same,

and to the resulting completed hosiery.

In order that the principle of my invention may be readily understood, I have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings.,.wherein-- Fig. 1 is a parallel mded blank of non-run character constructed in accordance with my invention, as it comes from the full-fashioned knitting machine, and to which the sole of the foot and thetoearetobeknitted; g

Fig. 2 is a similar view representing the blank when it has been cut to shape;

1 Fig. 3 is a view generally similar to Fig. 2 but representing the sole and side portions of the 2d toot and the toe as having been knitted onto the blank; 1

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken through the welt portion of the stocking blank;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of non-run fullfashioned hosiery as disclosed in my original application Ser. No. 541,245, filed June 1, 1981, now Patent No. 1,989,913, February 5, 1935, the fabric disclosed in this application being of the, same I non-run characteristic as shown in said original 80 application; rendered 'so by the presence of a warp thread in and restricted to each needle wale throughout the entire extent of the fabric; and

Fig. 6 is a detail upon, a very much enlarged scale showing the knitting of individual warp threads in the respective needle wales of the iabrlc of Fig. 5 as well as of Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Referring first to Figs. 5 and 6 of the applica-' tion, I have in Fig. 5 represented at I the leg or calf portion of a full-fashioned stocking which is rendered of a non-run character by reason of the knitting of a warp thread 1 into each needle wale '3 of the fabric but not into the sinker wales 4 -thereof. The purpose of knitting in the said warp threads 2 is to render the fabric of a non-run character throughout while at the same time preserving the full lateral expansibility of the fabric in the manner fully disclosed in my said Patent No. 1,989,913. The said stocking shown in Fig.5 is provided with a welt 5. The instep G 50. is desirably knitted as a direct and integral continuation of the, leg portion I, and the warp threads 2 are continued into the respective needle wales 'throughout the instep portion 6. The heel l is knitted in the usual manner characteristic of 56 a full-fashioned stocking and the sides and sole portion a of the foot and the toe a are knitted m then to cut the same to shape. 10

Referring more particularly to the stocking of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, it is understood that the fabric is knitted upon a full-fashionedknitting machine, but that in making the said fabric, I do not either effect a lateral 15 transfer of loops at the points where fashionings would normally be provided, as, for example,

-just below the welt and in the calf portion and in the heel, nor do I shorten the traverse of the main knitting or weft thread from time to time in 20 order to shape the fabric. Both of these other methods of procedure are ,fully disclosed and claimed in applications already filed by me, and certain of which have issued as patents, viz: Nos. 1,978,408, 1,978,409 and 1,978,412. In the present 25 casefhowever, I knit the fabric of uniform width from the commencement of the welt down to the toe as is illustrated in Fig. 1 at It, and then, as illustrated in Fig. 2, I cut or trim the fabric along certain lines, as will be fully disclosed. Prefer- 3 ably after trimming the fabric, I knit on the sides and bottom of the foot and the toe, as indicated'in Fig. 3, and then seam up the fabric.

Referring more in detail to said Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the welt portion of the fabric is indicated gen- 35 erally at H.

It is to, be understood that the fabric of Fig. l is knitted upon a spring beard needle. machine of any suitable type, as, for example, the well known Reading machine, but without employing transfer points or narrowing points. The machine is desirably of a fine gauge, and the fabric may be of any suitable weight or character, as, for exampie, chiffon or service weight or of some intermediate weight. The machine is, however, provided 45 by me, in accordance with my invention, with a warp thread finger, desirably one for each needle, and in the knitting of the fabric each warp is fed to its needlein the manner fully described in my Patent No. 1,978,412, October 30, 1934. In setting up the machine for such fabric, it is evident that much time is necessarily involved in introducing each warp thread to the proper needle, and, as will be hereinafter disclosed, it is desirable that the series of blanks constituting the successive'leg 56 portions of the stockings be integrally connected together, so as to avoid setting up the machine as to the warp threads thereof at the completion of each leg blank. In other words, the fabric is desirably knitted as a continuous string, each leg blank being severed at a proper time after the knitting of the new blank has commenced, and thus preserving the continuity of the introduction of the warp threads to the respective needles.

Assuming that all the blanks are set up or started upon the respective sections of the machine, each blank I is knitted parallel sided from the commencement of the welt at a point which may be the line l2 or Fig. 4, down to the line |3, |3 of Fig. l and so on through the formation of the succeeding blanks.

In knitting the said blank, I preferably introduce colored or otherwise contrasting warps at six points I5, I5, I6, I6 and l6, l6, as a guide for cutting the fabric blank. The said colored warps are, of course, continuous throughout the series of blanks, but the coloring material is of such nature that it is readily washed out in the treatment of the fabric blank in completing the stocking after the knitting operation.

During the knitting operation, I reinforce what become the high splice and heel portions H, l! and also the terminal portions of the instep |8 at l9, I9. This is done by introducing extra weft thread carriers, each traversing a portion only of the width of the fabric in a manner customary in the Reading machine and which need not be further described.

After the blank of Fig. 1 has been knitted and either before or after the remainder of the foot and the toe have been knitted thereonto, the blank is trimmed along the inclined lines 20, 20 and 20,

20', for the calf shaping and the shaping at the knee just below the welt, and in order to locate the points at which said inclined lines commence and terminate, I may provide suitable indications or makings and preferably by providing at each edge of the fabric where the inclined lines of cutting should commence and terminate, a small indentation or notch 2|, 2|, 22, 22', as by varying the feeding of the weft thread inward and then outward to the extent of two needles at each edge. This fixes the exact location of the inclined lines or cut edges 20, 20 and 20', 20 of the stocking. The fabric blank is also cut at the termination 23 of each heel or high splice reinforcement, as shown in Fig. 2, and also lengthwise the blank, at 24, 26, preferably through the reinforcements I1, I! for the heel. Desirably, also, the reinforcement at the heel is continued along narrow lines 25, 25 down to and so as to merge into the reinforcements |9, |9, hereinbefore referred to.

After the trimming has been effected along the lines 24 of Fig. 2, and the areas 21, 21 of Fig. 1 have been trimmed away, the heel tabs are turned outwardly, as indicated at 28, 28, Fig. 3, and then the respective side and sole portions or strips 29, 29 are knitted as continuations of the heel tabs and the toe portion 30 is knitted with fashioning 3|, 3|, this being preferably done upon the usual footer and without the employment of warp threads in the needle wales of the said side and sole portions of the foot, and in the toe.

At a suitable time, the fabric is seamed up along the longitudinal lines 32, 32 at the edges of the instep, and also the outer edges 33, 33 are seamed together to complete the foot and the stocking is seamed up the median back line of the leg along the cut parallel lines 34, 34 of Fig. 2, the cut inclined lines 20, 20, Fig. 2, and the selvaged, edges 35, 35 of Figs. 1 and 2. It will be understood that the outer corners 26 (Fig. 2) of the heel tabs are also trimmed or rounded before the blank seamed up.

The operator preferably cuts off each stocking blank while the next blank is on the needles of the machine and this leaves a short protruding portion 48, shown in Fig. 4, which protruding portion is subsequently trimmed off, or otherwise removed.

Thus an integral welt is completed which is turned and not sewed, which welt is of an entirely non-run character, because each needle wale thereof is provided with its own warp thread.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that I have provided a blank which is of an entirely non-run character because of warp threads, one for each needle wale, and that the said warp threads are continuous throughout the welt and that the welt is a turned welt, the making of which however, does not require the setting up of the machine after the formation of each blank.

I desire it to be understood that the feature of forming the welt, without setting up the machine as to the warp threads thereof, at the termination of each leg blank (and which is claimed in the parent application Ser. No. 709,302, now Patent No. 2,014,126) may be used either with the feature of cutting the blank as herein described or it may be employed independently thereof, as, for example, in the making of a non-run fabric blank that is either (1) shaped or fashioned wherever desired by lateral transfer of stitches composed of the main knitting thread and the respective warp threads, as, for example, just below the welt, at the calf portions of the leg and/or in the heel. or (2) in making a fabric that is shaped or fashioned by terminating needle wales through the act or shortening the traverse of the main knitting or weft thread wherever desired, as, for example, just below the welt and at the usual points where narrowings are provided.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of the blank and of the stocking and the best mode known for making the same, it is to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

I. A method of knitting and completing stockings from a. continuous string of plain, flat knit, non-run, laterally selvaged, stocking blanks, each of which has a non-run, laterally selvaged welt 'at the upper end of the leg portion thereof, and

each of which has an instep portion at its lower end as an integral continuation of the said leg portion, and which continuous string is knitted of full width and laterally selvaged throughout, and is composed of plain, untransferred stitches throughout, and hence devoid of knitted narrowings, and which is subsequently trimmed along inclined lines to present, where cut, acceptable fashioning, non-ravelling edges for seaming and is trimmed at the instep and heel areas; which method comprises (a) introducing and continuing to deliver throughout the formation of said continuous string a separate warp thread to substantially each needle from end to end of a separate set of needles whereon the continuous string of stocking blanks is to be knitted, and also feeding course after course a weft or body thread to all the said needles, and throughout the knitting of the said string of blanks traversing said weft or body thread entirely across all the needles, so that a continuous string of blanks is knitted, each of which is of the same full width and is of non-run structure throughout; (b) commencing the said knitting with all of said warp threads and said weft or body thread introduced to all the needles of said set substantially at the commencement of the upper welt of the first stocking blank of said continuous string of blanks; (c) continuing said knitting far enough to provide for a double-walled, non-run, selvaged edge welt; (d) turning the said welt; (e) continuing the knitting of the first stocking blank of full width and of said non-run laterally-selvaged character to the toe of the said stocking with regular non-transferred loops throughout the blank, so as to permit the next stocking blank to be begun without rethreading of the needles with said warp threads, and with a welt structurally like that of said first stocking blank, and also to permit the subsequenttrimming of the first blank thereby to shape the same with acceptable nonravelling edges for seaming; (I) then, while continuing in knitting action, without interruption, all of the said warp threads, repeating the same operations in the knitting of each non-run stocking blank of the said string, so that the said warp threads are uninterruptedly knitted throughout into the entire string of blanks without rethreading; (g) severing at desired intervals after the knitting thereof each stocking blank transversely at substantially the toe portion from the knitted beginning end of said welt of the next knitted stocking blank; (h) trimming along inclined lines the lateral edges of each stocking blank at the calf portion so as to provide non-run, acceptable, seaming edges, and also trimming to provide the instep portion and trimming away the material outside the high splice and heel areas; (i) knitting a sole and toe onto each stocking blank; and (i) seaming each stocking blank to complete the toe, foot, heel and leg.

2. A method of knitting and completing stockings from a continuous string of plain, fiat-knit, non-run, laterally selvaged, stocking blanks, each of which has a non-run, laterally selvaged welt at the upper end of the leg portion thereof, and each of which has an instep portion at its lower end as an integral continuation of the said leg portion,and which continuous string is knitted of full width and laterally selvaged throughout and is composed of plain, untransierred stitches throughout. and hence devoid of ,knitted narrowings, and which is subsequently trimmed along inclined lines to present, where cut, acceptable fashioning, non-ravelling edges for seaming and is trimmed at the instep and heel areas; which method comprises (a) introducing and continuing to deliver throughout the formation of said continuous string a separate warp thread to substantially each needle from end to end of a separate set of needles whereon the continuous string of stocking blanks is to be knitted, and also feeding course after course a weft or body thread to all of said needles, and, throughout the knitting of the said string of blanks, traversing said weft or body thread entirely across all the needles, so that a continuous string of blanks is knitted, each of which is of the same full width and is of nonrun structure throughout; (b) commencing the said knitting with all the said warp threads and said weft or body thread introduced to all the needles of said set substantially at the commencement ofthe upper welt of the first stocking blank of said continuous string of blanks; (c) continuing said knitting far enough to provide for a double walled, non-run, selvaged edge welt; (d) turning the said welt; (e) continuing the knitting of the first stocking blank of full width and of said non-run laterally-selvaged character to \the toe of the said stocking with regular nontransferred loops throughout the blank, so as to permit the next stocking blank to be begun without rethreading of the needles with said warp threads, and with a welt structurally like that of I said first stocking blank and also to permit the subsequent trimming of the first blank, thereby to shape the same with acceptable, non-ravelling edges for seaming; (,f) at the knitting of the lower part of the said first stocking blank introducing reinforcing weft threads wholly within the selvaged edges of the said blank in and to such extent as to provide spaced, reinforced, high splice and heel areas; (y) then, while continuing in knitting action, without interruption, all of the said warp threads, repeating the same operations in the knitting of each nonrun stocking blank of the said string, so that the said warp threads are uninterruptedly knitted throughout into the entire string of blanks without rethreading; (h) severing at desired intervals after the knitting thereof each stocking blank transversely at substantially the toe portion from the knitted beginning end of the said welt of the next knitted stocking blank; (1') trimming along inclined lines the lateral edges of each stocking blank at the calf portion, so as to provide non-run, acceptable, seaming edges, and also trimming to provide the instep portion and trimming away the material outside the high splice and heel areas; (7') knitting a sole and toe onto each stocking blank; and (k) seaming each stocking blank to complete the toe, foot, heel and leg.

ELLSWORTH E. CARLSON.

such places 1 

